Chapter 40: Thirty-nine

I’d like to say that once Reese and I decided to leave Waterford forever, the rest of it was smooth sailing, but wow, there was so much we didn’t consider, so many problems to wade through. I think we were both equally determined to make it work, though. Nothing that got in our way was going to stop us at that point. Not money, not past lies, not terrible landladies, not anything.

We did try to figure out all the details before presenting the idea to our parents, though. Cuddled together on her couch in her apartment above the garage with my laptop settled in my lap, we made a list of everything to consider. Across town, her cousin was recuperating in a hotel room, but we had no idea how long that would last.

“I have a feeling we might have to bring her back to Illinois with us.” Reese bit her lip as she looked up at me, as if she expected me to reject the idea immediately.

I could only shrug. Even though I now knew it wasn’t my fault Eva had been shot, I still somehow felt responsible for the poor little rich girl who’d fallen so hard on her luck. And I ended up saying, “Yeah, whatever she needs. I mean, she’s your cousin. We can’t just let her and her baby go destitute.”

“My God,” Reese murmured, gazing at me in awe as she shook her head. “I’m not sure how I could love you any more than I do right now.”

I grinned as she came in for a kiss. Her mouth was so sweet and giving, I groaned and pushed my computer out of the way so I could tug ~her~ into my lap. I could never get enough of this girl. Never.

But thinking of Eva, and Reese’s family, and me moving to Illinois with them, I lifted my face, even as I licked Reese’s delectable taste from my mouth.

“What are your parents going to think of me?” I asked. “Eva’s mom knows what I am—er, what I ~was~. You think she’s not going to tell her sister about my sordid past? I mean, we don’t want them knowing about that, right? And technically, we’ve barely been dating a week. They’re going to think—”

Reese stopped my worried flood with a gentle kiss to my lips.

“It’s going to be okay, baby,” she murmured, her smile soft and tender. “Not only am I an adult who’s going to do what I want concerning you whether they approve or not, but Mom and Aunt Mads aren’t even speaking to each other anymore because of the mess with E. They had a huge, blow-out fight, Mom saying Eva should keep the baby if she wants it, and Aunt Mads not about to accept such a scandal from any daughter of hers.” Reese rolled her eyes and sighed. “I’m not very happy about how E’s parents so scornfully turned their back on her either.”

“Don’t worry,” I assured, squeezing her fingers. “We’ll make sure Eva makes it through okay.”

Reese nodded and smiled appreciatively. “Thank you.”

I winked at her and returned my attention to the screen of my laptop, pulling it on top of both of us. “So, do you think we can fit all our shit into one big moving van?”

“I hope so,” Reese answered, her mouth falling open when she read the price for van rentals over my shoulder. “Because, holy shit, I wouldn’t want to pay that for ~more~ than one of them.”

I nodded, clicking out of the site. “We’ll make everything fit then or leave shit behind.”

Hugging my arm as I logged into my checking account to see how much money we had to work with, Reese rested her chin on my shoulder and said, “So how are we going to do this? Are you going to live with Sarah and your mom, and I move back in with ~my ~parents, until…until…”

“Until when?” I asked, lifting my face and blinking.

She shrugged. “I don’t know. Until we get to know each other better and date a while first?” She winced. “Though the idea of moving back in with my parents after living here on my own does not appeal at all. Besides…” She bit her lip. “I’m kind of really looking forward to living with ~you~.”

“So am I,” I admitted, touching her hair reverently. I definitely wasn’t planning to move halfway across the country to live ~away~ from her, anyway.

She beamed, grinning with pleasure and surprise. “Really? You are? That’s so awesome. We’re actually going to live ~together~. Soon. Oh my God, this is so exciting. But…should I move in with you, your mom, and Sarah, or should you and I find our own…?”

When I sent her an odd look, she laughed, the question trailing off, unasked. “Yeah,” she admitted on a cringe. “I don’t want to live with your mom and Sarah either. That would get kind of embarrassing for those nights when I make you come so hard that you scream and carry on like you do.”

“Oh, ~I’m ~the one who screams and carries on, huh?” I asked with raised eyebrows.

She nodded astutely. “You do. It’s super loud and obnoxious. But I love you, so…” She drew out an exhausted sigh. “I deal.”

“The trials you go through to put up with me,” I agreed dryly.

She grinned. “For real.”

I chuckled and pulled up my savings account information.

“So, I think we can afford moving across country, then put down deposits for two rentals, and hopefully most of Sarah’s medical expenses and food and utilities, and everything else for about…oh, six months maybe, without any of us making any extra income. If it comes down to that, anyway.”

“Wow, that’s…” She finally focused on the total I had pulled up on my savings account, and her words choked off as her mouth dropped open. “Oh my God, Mason. That’s a lot of zeroes.” She turned to meet my gaze with a dazed expression. “Why have you been so worried about money?”

I shook my head and glanced at the sum as well, a little proud of what I’d been able to squirrel away. “You’ve obviously never been so broke that you got insomnia at fifteen because you were worried your sister might ~die~ because you couldn’t afford her medicine that month.”

“Oh, Mason.” Reese’s eyes filled with sympathy as she covered my hand with her own.

“I’m sorry, I—”

But I wasn’t done yet. I wanted her to truly understand, to know it had always been about the money, ~only~ the money. “We were so broke I wasn’t sure where we’d be living from one month to the next because we were evicted so often for being constantly behind on rent.”

She looked pained to hear this. “Please, you don’t have to convince me—”

“We were so broke,” I went on forcefully, “I remember feeling guilty for buying rice, and cereal, and milk for a week’s worth of groceries.”

“Dear God.” Reese hugged me hard. “I had no idea.”

I stroked her hair. “After that, I could never make enough or save back enough to feel completely secure. I think I’ll always carry around an innate fear of being that poor again.” I met her gaze. “That’s also why we never moved after I started…you know, after what I became. Even though ~she~ owned our place, it’s the most permanent home Sarah and I have ever known.”

Reese’s shoulders sank. “And here I am, forcing you guys to move ~again~.”

I covered her hand with mine. “Trust me. This move will be okay. It’s entirely different now. When you don’t have to move out of necessity and you’re moving because you just ~want~ to, it’s actually kind of exciting. I am honestly so ready to get away from that witch, I swear I’m vibrating with impatience.”

Reese made a big show of touching my arm before she nodded. “Yep. I think I do feel a subtle tremor in there.”

I winked. “Well, that’s just because ~you ~touched me.”

Reese smiled and kissed my cheek, sliding her hand up and down my arm hypnotically. “Have you thought about how we’re going to convince ~your~ mom to move halfway across the country with Sarah?”

I shrugged. “If we do all the muscle work of finding her a job and a place to stay before we even present the idea to her, I think she’ll be fine. I honestly believe she’s as miserable here as I was before you arrived. Nothing’s tying her to Waterford. If we offer her a new life with a neat little bow tied on top, I think she’ll jump at the opportunity.”

Reese nodded. “And, hey, last time I talked to my mom, she was actually complaining about needing some reliable people to work for her. I didn’t even bring it up, so I bet we’ll get lucky there. We just have to find her an apartment, and—oh! Wait…” She looked up, her eyes extra blue in this light. “Does you mom prefer renting a full house, or would an apartment be okay too?”

My lips twitched in amusement. “After the shitholes we’ve lived in, she’d be happy with four standing walls, electricity, and water.”

Reese pointed her pen at me. “Heat and air too,” she said. “Remember, you’ve moving to ~Illinois~.”

“Holy shit,” I murmured, faking shock. “I’m going to have to buy, like, a coat or something, aren’t I?”

Reese snorted. “God, you’re so cute. You’re going to have to get an entire winter ~wardrobe~, Florida boy. Not just a coat. Probably some gloves, scarves, boots, and stocking caps. Ooh, I bet you’ll look really hot in lumberjack-type boots.”

“Jesus,” I sighed, thinking about the headache buying a new wardrobe for not just me but Sarah and Mom too was going to be. “Clothes,” I said as I typed that onto my list I was creating in a word document.

“And maybe some chains for your Jeep’s tires,” Reese added helpfully. “For when it snows fifteen inches at a time.”

I glanced up. “Snow?” Knitting my brow, I asked, “That’s the cold, white, wet stuff, right?”

Reese rolled her eyes. “Go ahead. Be funny. You think I’m joking about the culture shock you’re going to experience, but don’t say I didn’t warn you when you’re freezing your balls off come December.”

Wrapping my arms around her waist, I burrowed my face into her neck. “I was kind of hoping I’d have you around to keep ~those~ warm.”

“Always,” she murmured, cupping my cheeks in her hands. Then she blew out a breath and shook her head. “I still can’t believe we’re actually doing this. I’m going home, and ~you’re~ coming with me! It’s just… It’s so crazy awesome.”

I nuzzled my nose into the hair at her temple. “Having second thoughts yet?”

She shook her head. “No way. It just feels too good to be true.”

“Every moment with you feels that way for me, so this isn’t much different.”

Sighing out her pleasure, she kissed my cheek and hummed when she must’ve felt some hardness growing under her ass. Then she ground against my erection and gently bit my earlobe. “Just promise me something,” she murmured in my ear as I began to unbutton her shirt.

“Anything,” I said, kissing the swells of flesh above her bra as soon as I exposed them.

“Never stop loving me.”

“Done.” I lifted her up, so I could work on opening her jeans.

“I’m serious, Mason.” Stroking my hair so I’d look up at her, she met my gaze with solemn blue eyes. “This thing between us is bigger than anything I’ve ever experienced before. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Teresa,” I murmured, saying her real name so she’d know I meant every word I said. “You’re in my blood. I’d have to bleed out completely and die before I could give you up. I’m ~not~ going to stop loving you.”

Her chest heaved as she drew in the impact of my words. And even though her eyes smiled with love, she managed a cringe. “That’s a little morbid, Hotness, but I’ll take it.”

“You better,” I growled, shedding her jeans down her thighs, “because I’m giving you all that I am.”

She opened my jeans in return and started to sink down on top of me. I loved taking her bare. And since she’d gone on birth control and I’d gotten thoroughly checked out, that’s all we did now. My mouth literally watered in anticipation of that first thrust.

“I guess that makes us even then,” she answered before impaling herself, making me groan through the overwhelming pleasure.